


I can be the one

by UmiAzuma



Series: Hotter than Hell [5]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Always a girl Danny Rand, Elise the employee, F/M, Female Danny Rand, Female Matt Murdock, Jack Murdock (mentioned) - Freeform, Maddie is a pain in the ass, Maggie Murdock is a good mom, Melvin Potter is a good noodle, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Planning, always a girl matt murdock, lots of wedding dresses, poor Elise deserved better, well she tries to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 14:55:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16789180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmiAzuma/pseuds/UmiAzuma
Summary: Maddie prepares for her wedding and agonizes over a dress





	I can be the one

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheVagabondBoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheVagabondBoy/gifts).



“Karen, not only am I blind, I also have zero knowledge about wedding dresses.” Maddie whined as Karen dragged her by the arm. They would be meeting with Claire at Bella Bridesmaids for an 11 AM appointment.

Karen had screamed at Maddie when she showed up the Monday after the dinner with Frank with a pretty ring on her finger and asked to be told every detail. Foggy pretended not to care but he was also very excited about said ring and also wanted to know every detail. 

Frank had shoved the ring inside a cupcake and he expected Maddie to bite it, instead, Maddie had taken a bite and almost chokes on the ring because no one ever told her she had to actually  _ chew _ a cupcake.

After almost dying, she teared up and of course said yes, and now she was engaged.

Karen had decided two things: 1) She was going to be maid of honor and 2) she would help Maddie navigate this new and strange situation.

“I’ve read enough magazines on wedding dresses for both of us, don’t worry. We’re here!” Karen waved at Claire and she waved back, she had with her a small blonde with curly hair in a fluffy ponytail. “Hey! You’re early! Our appointment is at 11!”

“Yeah, Danny was excited! Oh, Karen, this is Danielle Rand, she owns Rand Enterprises!”

“Pleased to meet you!” She said, and shook Karen’s hand, and said hi to Maddie. “I’ve met Miss Murdock before, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, we’ve met before.”

“Really?” Karen frowned. “Okay, should we go in now?”

They went into the store and a cheerful employee greeted them, directing them to a waiting room. Danny looked around, in constant bewilderment at how lavish the store was for something in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. Maddie snorted, this store was like a sprinkle on a fresh dog shit. Frank’s words, not Maddie’s. 

“Elise, your 11 AM is here!” The employee said, and a petite redhead poked her head out of another room with a clipboard. She dressed neatly in a little black dress and had a bright smile. Karen wanted to punch her.

“Hello! The appointment is for one Madeleine Murdock, right?”

“Yeah, that’s her.” Claire all but pushed Maddie in front of the employee, Elise offered a hand for Maddie to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Madeleine, I am Elise and I will help you choose a dress today!” She said cheerfully, then her smile deflated when she noticed Maddie was not shaking her hand. “Umm…”

“She’s blind, Elise.” Danny supplied, as if Maddie’s cane and shades indoors were not obvious, Elise turned as red in her face as she was in her hair.

“Oh goodness, I’m so sorry! My bad, I will try to help you to the best of my ability, Madeleine. Come, we’ll figure out together how to choose a nice dress for your special day.”

Elise took Maddie’s arm and guided her to another waiting room, her party would wait there, Danny sat immediately, but Claire and Karen followed suit. Elise stopped them at the entrance.

“This is a choice the bride has to do by herself.”

Claire rolled her eyes and pointed at Maddie's cane again. Eloise made a choked noise and allowed Claire and Karen in. 

Maddie touched the lace on one of the dresses, a tulle monstrosity that she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to wear and sighed.

“I’m sure they are all lovely, but I can’t  _ see _ them.” 

“We narrowed it down with what you told us your budget was and…”

“Pick any you want, Maddie.” Danny said, waltzing in as well. “We got money.”

Claire smacked Danny's arm.

“We need a budget, so we can narrow it down easily and we don't spend all day here!”

After narrowing it down to an acceptable price range (for Maddie, Danny sulked and said they could afford more), Elise showed them a few more discreet styles. Claire and Karen were quick to tell Elise that Maddie had sensitive skin, so anything with lace that was in direct contact with the skin (unless it was silk lace) was off the table because it would irritate her. So a lot of silk dresses were presented to Maddie, and she touched the silks with gentle fingers.

“I want to try this one on.” She said, and Elise guided her to the changing room. 

Karen and Claire went back to the waiting room to see Maddie with the dress. Seeing it on the rack, it didn’t look too flattering but maybe it would look different with someone inside it. 

It did look very different with someone inside it.

It’s a pretty soft tulle dress, tight up to Maddie’s hips, and covered in embroidered flowers here and there, the skirt looks like a mermaid’s flowy tail, but Maddie looks like she can’t even walk with it.

“It’s beautiful, Maddie, it really is.” Claire says with a nod, Karen seems to agree.

“But you look constricted, you can’t move.” Danny adds, then turns to the employee. “Don’t you have something that allows for more freedom of movement?”

They end up spending three hours there. Maddie tries on at least a hundred dresses, she doesn’t want anything too big because then it’ll be hard to use the restroom, doesn’t want a plunging neckline because her breasts won’t allow it, she doesn’t want to show her back because it’s full of scars and she can’t explain them to anyone. 

Claire groans and drinks another glass of wine.

“You’re too picky, Mads, Frank is gonna like you even if you wear a sack of potatoes instead of a dress!”

“He’s wearing his marine uniform, I gotta look nice!” Maddie smooths imaginary wrinkles on a greek style dress with no neckline, no back exposed and a straight skirt that will make it easy for her to move. “I don’t like how the silk feels in this one.”

“Sweet baby Jesus…” Elise takes a deep breath and leaves to dig for another dress.

In the end they leave without getting any dress at all. Maddie is a little heartbroken over it, she wanted to find a nice dress and all she found was very disappointing.

She was so disheartened she cried when she got home. Frank didn’t know what to do or what to say.

Maddie went patrolling that night to get her mind off things. She kept thinking about Vanessa Fisk and her wedding dress. Karen had described it as an abomination, and Maddie didn’t want anyone describing  _ her _ wedding dress like that.

She went to the church to visit sister Maggie. Father Lantom may be gone but she was always glad to see Maddie, always took Maddie’s face in her hands gently and said “let me look at you” and offer any words of advice she could.

“You’re getting married.” Maggie stated, offering Maddie a cup of the coffee she and Father Lantom seemed to enjoy. “Paul would be happy to hear that.”

“I always dreamed that Father Lantom would officiate my wedding if I ever had one.” Maddie sighed and accepted the latte. “At least we can have the wedding here.”

“This man,” Maggie began, carefully, “you haven’t introduced him to me.”

“Give it time, mother. I haven’t even bought the wedding dress yet, we haven’t even set a date yet.”

“A dress? I might have a solution to that particular problem.” Maggie stood and left the room, a few minutes later she came back with a box. “It’s old, but it might fit you, never know until we try, I guess.”

There’s a dress in the box, Maddie can feel the soft tulle, the embroidered flowers feel delicate against her fingers, the silk underneath. Maddie gasps, this might be it!

“Where-?”

“I was married to your father, you know.” Maddie can feel Sister Maggie’s smile. “I used to think one day I’d pass it on to you, for no particular reason, I wasn’t intending for you to ever know the truth but… here we are.”

Maddie took the box home and hoped the dress would fit, maybe she could get it altered if she didn’t like the cut.

It didn’t fit. It didn’t fucking fit and Maddie was about to cry, her own mother’s dress didn’t fit her because she had the body type of the women in her father’s side of the family. Then she remembered someone who could probably help her. She took the black suit and put it on, it was starting to get dark, so she carefully put the dress inside the box and left the apartment.

After the whole incident with Fisk, Maddie managed to at least use her knowledge to free an old friend. Maybe he could repay her this time.

Melvin Potter was just saying goodbye to Betsy, she promised to be back later that night and bring some dinner, Maddie waited patiently for them to be done talking to show up, Melvin almost has a heart attack.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” He said.

“I thought I’d never see you.” She replied, smiling slightly. She was glad Melvin was alive and well.

“Why are you here? I don’t do that anymore.”

“And I don’t want you to do that, this is…” Maddie turned to the box. “A little more personal.”

Melvin seemed to understand and guided Maddie to his workshop, which was just a room with some equipment Maddie had touched and felt before. She put the box on a table and opened it, and Melvin marveled at the dress for a moment.

“Whaddaya want me to do with this? I make armor.”

“So you can’t help me.” 

“I never said that.” Melvin touched the fabric a little. “Is it important to you?”

“It was my mother’s.”

“Where is she now?”

“Gone, but I’m getting married, and it doesn’t fit me and I wondered if you could alter it or do something else with it.”

“You getting married?” Melvin beamed, and Maddie couldn’t help it, she laughed lightly. “A-and you want me to do something with your ma’s dress so you can wear it to your wedding?”

“Yes, Melvin, that’s what I want.”

“Well the fabric’s very delicate, this dress is not new.” Maddie could tell Melvin was afraid to touch it, maybe scared of ruining the fabric. “What’s the lucky guy wearing?”

“His marine uniform, if he can find it.” Maddie shrugged.

“You gonna be a military wife now?” Melvin snickered and Maddie smacked his arm. “Okay, I’ll think of something, come by tomorrow.”

Maddie didn’t tell Frank about the dress, instead she told him she’d been annoyed that she couldn’t find another one, and that Karen had booked an appointment with another shop later that week. Frank told her he didn’t find his uniform but that he’d get a new one, he wanted to look sharp for their wedding. They sat on the couch, just talking and making plans, until Frank started kissing Maddie’s neck, then laid her down on the couch gently, lifting her blouse as he kissed her.

“No…” She whispered against his lips.

“What? You wanna wait until we’re married?” Frank squeezed one of her breasts and she gasped and pouted.

“No, you jerk! I got my period today, just after we were done with the dresses.”

“Ain’t that a good thing.” Frank chuckled, then removed himself from on top of Maddie, instead carrying her to the bedroom, where he tucked her in bed and kissed her lips. “You in pain? Want some tea?”

“Tea would be nice, yes.” Maddie snuggled into the covers and waited for her husband-to-be to bring her tea.

When Maddie showed up at Melvin’s workshop, he wasn’t there, she frowned and tried to find him by his heartbeat. She heard him talking to Betsy about some work he had to do, so she followed his voice back to his home. Melvin had a dress form in the living room and Maddie knocked gently on the window.

Melvin went to open the window, and Maddie could feel Betsy was not happy to have her there, but she ignored it.

“Is it done?” Maddie asked, moving to the dress form and touching the fabric, the sleeves felt different, there were some of the flowers there but something more was also in them.

“I had to go find pieces of the fabric again, did you know they don’t make that kind of flower embroidery anymore?” Melvin said, moving excitedly around the dress form.

“I hope you appreciate what Melvin did for you and leave him the hell alone for at least a month or two.” Betsy said, Maddie could feel her frowning.

“I’ll bring you cake from the wedding, Melvin.” Maddie didn’t think Melvin wanted to go, he said once crowds were not his thing. 

Maddie touched the [dress](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0205/9166/products/LACEMARRY_WEDDING_DRESSES_-_WD145_-_01_2048x2048.jpg?v=1519224007), the tulle was there but it had new parts, the tulle was used to make an overdress of sorts, on top of a silk dress with straps, it had kimono style sleeves and the tulle dress had a plunging neckline over a more discreet one in the silk part.

“You said you didn’t want no neckline but I had to use it anyway, it won’t look bad because it has the other neckline underneath. Mainly I got extra fabric for the sleeves and just got some apliques. It looks nice, I promise.” Melvin ramble on and on about the new dress, he said he’d never done a wedding dress and he hoped it was well done. Maddie smiled.

“It’s perfect, Melvin. Thank you.”

“Oh and it’s reinforced with some bulletproof material between the bodice and the lining!”

“Oh my God, Melvin.” Betsy groaned.

“Just in case!”

Maddie went to Karen’s apartment, from there, she called Claire, Danny and Jessica. She needed to see what they thought about the dress. They sat in Karen’s living room as Karen helped Maddie put on the dress. The blonde zipped it up and tied the bow on the back carefully.

“It’s beautiful, Mads.” Karen said, smoothing the sleeves and making Maddie turn around to look at her. She tried hard not to cry, her friend looked amazing. “I can’t believe it, it’s so pretty.”

“Is it?” Maddie fiddled with one of the embroidered flowers, Melvin had told her to be careful with them.

“It is, Maddie, so pretty.” Karen sniffled and shook her head. “But are you comfortable with it? How do you feel?”

“I feel…” Maddie frowned, she really didn’t know how she felt, the dress fit like a glove and felt comfortable but not being able to see it, Maddie didn’t know if it was flattering, everyone else would have to be the judge of that. “It’s comfortable.”

“Then let’s show it the others, come on!”

Karen sounded excited and her excitement was contagious, she allowed Karen to lead her out to the living room and everyone seemed awed by the dress. Claire said she looked beautiful, it was exactly what Maddie had wanted in the store, Danny said it looked like the elegant dresses one of her teachers at K’un Lun used to wear.

“I can ask around in Chinatown, see if we can get you some golden pins for your hair, you’d look like a true princess!” Danny said excitedly.

“Nah, she looks like a hippie.” Jessica said. “Put a flower crown there and you’ll have the full look.”

“No, we have to pin her hair up!” Danny whined. 

“Ladies, ladies!” Karen spoke over the other three. “Remember any bride worth her salt has to have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.”

“That’s bullshit, Karen.” Jessica scoffed. 

“But I  _ want _ something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue!” Maddie said. “I want a  _ traditional _ wedding.”

Jessica shrugs and says she’s only taking the photos so what does she know?

“You already have something that is both old and new.” Claire said, touching the dress. “We’ll find you something blue soon enough.”

Maddie doesn’t let Frank see the dress and hides it so well Frank goes crazy trying to find it. Maddie threatens to leave the church if he doesn’t cry when he sees her. A few days before the wedding, Danny comes to visit with a box.

“I didn’t find something blue, but I did find something that goes perfectly with the dress! These are wedding hairpins, most of them are red because in China you’re supposed to marry in red, but I found them in just gold and…”

Danny opens the box, there’s a small golden [brooch and pins ](http://wulongwushi.com/u/178/1612159/Chinese_Ancient_Style_Hair_Jewelry_Accessories_Hairpins_Headwear_Headdress_Hair_Fascinators_for_Women.jpg)that are meant to go on the sides of a hair bun, chains with crystal petals dangle from the pins and the brooch has a flower with a few jade gems.

“Something almost blue.” Danny smiles, and offers Maddie the box, she touches the brooch carefully, and smiles back at Danny. 

Maddie borrows a pair of shoes from Claire, that’s her something borrowed. She finally has everything.

Frank looks at her walking down the aisle with her lace dress, her hairpins and a delicate tulle veil and Maddie can hear him choking back tears.

All is well.


End file.
